t was an old scout's trick [= I might have expecte: the ambush if I had been a the top of my form. Inst curiosity almost cost my friend ‘Quimut his life. Weledour supply. laden horses down a. shallow ravine following our quarry’s trail, but we were oblivious to the fact that one had circled behind us. It was early morning in the Marches, and the heat had risen with the sun to promise grueling temperatures to come. We should hhave sought shade and close. Passing « wind-smoothed boulder, 1 found out just how close when I caught the shine of HEPENDRAKE NCOUNTERS By Viktor Pendrake (Transcribed by Doug Seacat and Nathan Letsinger) DEATH IN THE MARCHES, PART | a whirling steel blade out of the | escaped the great blow. We | brutes had dropped back to deal pire aiay Oe turned back to back, feeling quite | with us while the rest pashed on. outmatched as we were circled by I tumbled away just as the enormous curved blade sliced Qur foes stood nearly nine our prey turned hunter, istditiacen akon past and into the red sand where There was a pause as we armor and wielded Thad been standing: Springing | tensely considered one another | brutal falchions as long as they to my feet, I drew my blades as e for the next move. 1 | were tall. They wore visored and Quimut extended his war-fan | gathered my wits and considered | enclosed helmets that presented and the horses reared in fright. | what we were facing. We had | particularly ominous guise. I Distracted by the assailant who | tracked a party of skorne froma | had presumed the skorne had had'nearly illed me, Quimut did | trolllin village massacred down | enlisted some undiscovered breed not se¢ another Aanking him— | to the last trollkin child near | of ogrun from somewhere in the fac iad’ circled behind | the Scarleforth Lake. Mingled | Marches. I could not have been among the skornetracks had been | more mistaken. those of these larger creatures. ies behets eas 1 surmised now that these tO | ssc the great. leavingblows of my foe were aimed with almost preternatural insight as if this creature knew my moves before I did. Mylack of reach put me at a severe disadvantage, so I dove under his slash and stabbed less protected groin. The reature fell to its knees alter a few choice slices. I battered the helmet off my foe with a sideways slash and froze for a. moment in surprise. Glaring at me was an alien visage so distinct from an ogrun that there was no chance of even the slightest relation. A single large baleful eye glared at me from under a brooding brow. The creature had no nose. There were only a pair of narrow slits its smooth face below which was an enormous mouth with an assortment of slender fangs indented into its upper lip. 1 was jarred back to the present by a cry of pain from Quimut. Survival before study — T plunged my dagger deep into the creature's rough-skinned throat, ending its life with aspray of hot blood. Even as I turned to Quimut’s aid, reeling with the impl mind was is of what L had seen—a one-eyed humanoid unlike any I had heard deserihed wearing skorne armor. My excitement mounted past the adrenaline of combat as I considered 1 was facing a new species from castera Immoren brought from beyond the Stormlands. Things looked dire for Quimut whose war-fan had been knocked aside and crushed to a useless lump on the red. sands He was looking down with shocked horror at the falchion sunk hallway into his torso. 1 suspect if he had not partially intercepted the blow, he might have been cloven in half. His left ‘arm hung loosely and dripped blood from a serious gash, and to investigate deeper into he scrambled feebly to draw his the uncharted regions of the slender Kaelram ivory blade with Bloodstone Marches. He had his right. The oversized creature been gathering every scout he who had delivered this mighty couldfind who was even remotely wound was standing still and familiar with the region, hopii slowly twisting the blade as if enjoying Quimut’s helpless pain, T felt no guile at taking advantage of my positioning to charge the one-eyed brute E PENDRAKE EXCOUNTERS Idealt it a mortal wound deep into its lower back that prompted an inarticulate howl. It whirled to decapitate me with its blade, but I ducked in time. We traded blows until at last the hardy ut. Only then did I realize I had sustained several creature ble juries, Iwas much mere concerned about Quimut, and Thurried to see what 1 could do for him. Luckily 1 had brought a supply of alchemical curatives for just such an occasion, but even so it was still a close call. I fear Quimut may never entirely recover from the grievous wound. He joked with me that hisdancing days were over, and I took it as a sign he would atleast livethrough the night. Once I had secured him in relative comfort and out of the punishing sun, I felt compelled to return and inspect the creatures we had fought. I quickly decided to call these “cyclops” from an old Caspian term which means literally “one eye By careful extraction I was able to preserve ‘one of the enormous fleshy ‘orbs for later dissection. In the process I discovered a series of inexplicable scars on the skull of ‘each eyclops perhaps indicative of ritualized self-mutilation, or perhaps deliberate tampering by the skorne. I am eager to learn more of these creatures and how they behave in the wild 1 was originally sent here by the scout general himself= = Large Monstrous Humanoid Ss 6:18:24 GI hp) = H 40 (@ squares) nr 17 Cl Size, +2 Dex, +2 Natural, | $2 hide armot, +2 lnbighit = Bonus). toch 15. attocted 15 s6ietd eS le Large nprovied elu 0 — (2d6-4x2) | Full Atak Large improvised eu «10/65 (24642) = ‘Space/Reach: 10/10 fe. Special Auch: — Qualities: Darkvision 607, Prescient Dodge, Hunter's Sight, Prescient Strike, Ocular Reliance Saves: Fort 6, Reflex +7, Will 6 ‘Clin +5, Jump #5, Spor 3, Survival 4 Improved Initiative, Endurance, Blindstight. Track! ‘Any desert or warm land Gang (2-6) 5 Usually chaotic evi By character class 7 In oe Str 19, Dex 14, Con 18, tnt 6, Wis 12, Cha & Skorne Conditioned Cyclops, 2nd-level Barbarian to confirm rumors of str and heightened skorne activity. Tt is clear to me Ihave found just that proof The trick now will be sending word back to the Cygnaran: Army i informing them of these creatures. The Corvis and skorne I was following are still marching ahead of me, and I do not intend to turn back yet. If you are reading this, clearly 1 succeeded in finding someone into whose hands I could trust this errand. Be sure to reward them well for their pains. There ge e can find it—and it has is supposed to be another trollkin near here. If not suffered similarly at the hands of the skorne—perhaps it is where I will be able to recruit a messenger and leave Quimut to I shall continue onward into ted wasteland alone if need be, and I will try to find a way to recover ful the red sands of this bl send other information as I find it, Ge -rge Monstrous Humanoid Bit Dices 6856 plas 21261248! (92 hp) Initiative: 47 ae ‘Speed: 30 fi in skorne plate armor (6 squares); e sock base speed 59 fe. (10 squares) Anmor Class: 23 (-1 Size, +5 Dex, +2 Natural, +7 skorne | plate armor, +2 Insight bonus), touch 14, fat-foored 20 BAB/Grapple: 48/16" Ai Macnee lags alchian 16 - des t0/18-20/<3) ‘Full Attack: Masterwork large falchion +16/+10 2; Ke Zp oe oid dati The Dost Sete ee ) Dee [ Fam Shame Confit Special Qualities: Darkvision 60', Fast Movement, Prescient Dodge, Hunter's Sight, Prescient Strike Lean, Rage 2x/days, Uncanny Dodge, Ocular Reliance Saves Fort +14, Reflex 9, Will +10 Abilities: Ste 24. Dex 17, Con 24. Int 6, Wis 14, Chad Skills: Climb +4, Jump +4, Spot +5, Survival «6 Feats: Armor Proficiency (Heavy), Blind-fight Die ards, Improved Initiative, Endurance, ‘Track’, Weapon Focus (large falchion) Environment: Any desert or warm land Organization: Solitary, pair (2) or quad (2-8) Challenge Ratings 9 Alignment: Chaotie evil Advancements Py character class yuikplite * "Bonus FestCyclops are a fierce and bloodthirsty species skilled at tracking down and slaughtering the dangerous creatures of the Bloodstone Marches. They delight in cruelty and sometimes deliberately withhold a killing strike as a victim sulfers. They generally hunt in small groups, coordinate movements, and prepare ambushes. When stalking dangerous or numerous foes, they track from a distance and will wait to attack until the target is asleep or otherwise distracted. When found in the wild, the cyclops will be protected by light hide armor and wields an oversized club often improvised from the bones of its prey. ‘The eyclops' eye provides the supernatural ability to ace glimpses of the very near future, giving them an enormous edge in combat. All ofthese abilities are negated ifa cyclops is blinded Or otherwise unable to see its foe. PENDRAKE ENCOUNTERS Prescient Dodge(Su): This ability allows the cyclops to anticipate an enemy's attacks before they happen, giving a «2 Insight bonus to AC as long as it is aware of an incoming attack. Cyclops aleo gain a +4 Insight bonus to Sense Motive rolls to avoid a feint Hunter's Sight (Su): The ¢ happen. During the cyclops’ action it designates an opponent and receives a +2 Insight bonus to attack: clops can partially correct awed or deflected attacks before they rolls against that opponent. Each time it makes an action, a new opponent can be chosen. Prescient Strike (Su): A cyclops can see when its attack will hit, and it can maximize the impact. Afier acyclops hits with amelee attack, it gains a +1 cumulative Insight bonus to damage for every point by which its attack roll exceeded the opponent's AC (not including the +2 Insight bonus from Hunter's Glimpse). Bonus damage may not exceed the cyclops’ BAB. , Ocular Reliance: A cyclops that loses the use of its eye or is otherwise blinded does YO Gels not gain the benefit ofits racial supernatural special abilites. ‘Treasure ‘A cyclops does not generally carry valuables, but it may collect items from those it has slain, A skorne-conditioned cyclops wll wear masterwork plate armor and a large two-handed masterwork weapon such as a falchion. It is probable a cyclops eye will have many uses in alchemy or to bonegrinders, but western alchemists are currently ignorant ofits properties. Prices offered for such a rarity could vary widely (10-1000 gp). Cnr keno ‘Skorne submit enslaved minions to a barrage of conditioning and training while raising them from an early age to fight for them. This includes extensive exercises and drills to keep them in peak physical condition as well as exposing them to a variety of painful stimulus, reinforcing or discouraging certain behaviors. This may also include surgical procedures by skorne anatomists such as incisions into regions of the brain. This process numbs the creature to ordinary pain caused by injury, but the skorne know means to make them feel pain when it is required.